Name: Copycat Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 145 min
Ingredients: 2 cups milk; 1/4 cup butter; 1/4 cup sugar; 6-7 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour, divided); 2 pkgs. yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons); 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 3 eggs; 2 cups cinnamon chips; butter for brushing onto loaves

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Our copycat Great Harvest cinnamon chip bread is delicious with bursts of cinnamon in every bite. This recipe makes two loaves.

You might also like our cinnamon swirl bread, our egg bread, or our pull-apart apple bread.

Watch our step-by-step video!

I've never been fortunate enough to live next to a Great Harvest Bread store so I pick up a couple of loaves whenever I'm in Utah. My absolute favorite is their cinnamon chip bread (also called cinnamon burst bread). When I first tried it I couldn't believe how delicious it was, and couldn't figure out how they added the little bursts of cinnamon in every bite. Was it some sort of crumble they mixed in? A streusel-type mixture? Nope. The answer is cinnamon chips! Nowadays other grocery stores in Utah sell their own version of this yummy bread, but I don't live in Utah so I wanted to figure out how to make it for my family.

Copycat Great Harvest Bread

My copycat version makes 2 loaves of delicious cinnamon bread. I've made cinnamon chip bread with Hershey's cinnamon chips in the past and thought it was delicious! You can check out my cinnamon chip bread loaves here (baked in regular loaf pans). The Hershey's chips, however, don't melt down the same as the ones used by Great Harvest, leaving streaks of melted cinnamon chips vs. pockets of cinnamon in every bite.

Best Cinnamon Chips for Bread

I wanted to find cinnamon chips that were closer to what Great Harvest uses and finally accomplished that! You can order bags of cinnamon chips (that are LEGIT) from Orson Gygi. The only catch is that shipping is ridiculous unless you spend $75. The cinnamon chips are a great price (cheaper than the brand sold on Amazon) so it's worth going in with a few friends and ordering a bunch of 5-pound bags. They sell other types of chocolate chips as well as baking supplies and home decor so it's easy to meet the shipping quota. You can also use Hershey's cinnamon chips but just know that it won't be as close to a copycat version as the Orson Gygi cinnamon chips.

The Details This Cinnamon Bread

The base dough for this recipe is the same one that I use for making egg bread. Egg bread uses milk instead of water, butter instead of oil, and adds 3 eggs. The egg yolks give the bread a slightly yellow color and adds moisture and richness. You can brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter or an egg wash right out of the oven. I like using melted butter because it adds great flavor. It is the perfect base for cinnamon bread!

Great Harvest uses honey in their bread. If you'd like to use honey instead of sugar you can absolutely do that. Use 2-3 tablespoons of honey instead of the ¼ cup of sugar that is called for in my recipe.

two slices of cinnamon chip bread with a butter dish

Cinnamon Chip Bread Ingredients

(Scroll to the end of the post for an easy-to-follow recipe card)

2 cups milk
¼ cup butter
¼ cup sugar (or 2 tablespoons of honey)
6-7 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour), divided
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups cinnamon chips
2-3 tablespoons of butter for brushing onto loaves

How To Make Copycat Great Harvest Cinnamon Burst Bread

Microwave milk, sugar, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl (or heat over the stove) until the butter begins to melt. This should take around 90 seconds. Stir. The milk should be around 115-120 degrees (if it is hotter than this it will need to cool before using).

In a large bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add eggs and mix well. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix until soft dough forms. Mix in cinnamon chips. The dough will be soft and slightly stickier than other yeast breads.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth or plastic. Let rise in a warm location for 60-90 minutes.

cinnamon chip bread dough cut in half and shaped into a ball.

Punch the dough down and divide it into 2 portions.

Shape each portion into a round loaf and place in greased pie pans (pie plates).

Let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the loaves for 30 minutes.

Allow bread to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Cool completely before slicing.

loaf of copycat great harvest cinnamon chip bread on a wire cooling rack

Wrap bread in plastic or store it in bread bags to keep fresh for up to 3 days.

Copycat Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip Bread Recipe (Cinnaburst Bread)

Copycat Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip Bread

Our copycat Great Harvest cinnamon chip bread is delicious with bursts of cinnamon in every bite. This recipe makes two loaves.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

rise: 1 35

Total Time: 2 25

Servings: loaves

Calories: 160kcal

Ingredients

2 cups milk
¼ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
6-7 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, divided
2 pkgs. yeast 4 ½ teaspoons
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 eggs
2 cups cinnamon chips
butter for brushing onto loaves

Instructions

Heat milk, sugar, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl (or heat over the stove) for 90 seconds or until the butter begins to melt. Stir. The milk should be around 115-120 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, and salt. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add eggs and mix well. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix until soft dough forms. Stir in the cinnamon chips. The dough will be soft and slightly stickier than other yeast breads.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic. Let rise in a warm location for 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide into 2 portions.
Shape each portion into a loaf shape and place loaves in greased pie pans (pie plates).
Cover pans with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 35 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake loaves for 30 minutes. Brush with butter. Let loaves sit in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.
Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Wrap bread in plastic and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. Bread freezes well and can also be stored in the freezer to thaw at a later date.

Nutrition